Heel-building machine



W. H. ALBEE KEEIJ, BUILD Oct. 6, 1925.

ING MACHINE F1106 Oct. 22, 1923 2 Sheets-Shut 1 Oct. e, 1925- w. H ALBEE HEEL BUILDING momma 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 22, 1923 Patented Oct 6, 1925.

UNITED}, STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

WILLIAM HENRY ALIBEE, or MARLBORO, MASSACHUSETTS, As'srenon TO B. A. oonnm &' SON COMPANY, OF ,MARLBORO,'IVIASS'ACHUSETTS, A CQRPOBATION OCE Iii/[ASSA- CHUSETTS.

HEEL-BUILDING MACHINE.-

T all whom it may concern:

' a. citizen of the United States, residing at Marlboro, in the county. of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heel-- Building Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of heels provided witha rand, and it is the general objectfof the invention to effect economies in the manufacture of heels of this type. The invention is especially concerned with-the assembling:anduniting of the rand with the other parts ofa heel, and

it aims to devise apparatus which will facilitate these operations andreduce the labor that they involve. I

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a heel building machine embodying the invention in the form at present preferred;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a follower plate which forms a part of the machine shown in Fig. 1; I

Fig. 8 is a transverse, cross-sectional view on the line 33, Fig. 1'; I

Fig. l is a plan view of the partsshown in Fig. 1 and Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views showing steps in the process of manufacture of aheel.

The drawings show the invention applied to the heel building machine knowircommercially as the Alsop heel builder; This machine is very similar to that disclosed in Patent No. 1,399,508, dated June 6, 1921. The machine shown includes an inclined chute which comprises a bottom 2 and a top 3 spaced apart by a suitable distance to receive a stack of heel blanks. The bottom 2' extends for a substantial distance below the lower endof'the chute, as clearly shown in the drawings, and a ram 4 is mounted to reciprocate along the upper surface of this extension toward and from the lower end of the chute. This, ram is reciprocated by a lever and operating mechanism acting therethrough and which forms a part ofthe regular machine and therefore is not illustratedb Immediately in front ofthe ram 4 is a face plate or ram plate 5-against which a stack of heel lifts is assembled in performin the usual hcel'building operation. For the purpose of positioning the heel lifts in the proper lateral relationship to the ram plate 5, two gages 6-6 are mounted at opposite sides of the part 2 and are slotted to receive screws 8'8 by; means of which they are adjustably secured to side pieces 9 which are bolted to the ram. The

screws 8 8 enter parts 11-11, Fig. 3,

which embrace "the respective side pieces 9''9-. and clamp the gages 6'6 to said pieces. 1 Y v The usual process of building heels in this apparatus consists in stacking heel-lifts'in front of the ram 4, the faces of these lifts being coated with cement, and then operating theram to carry the assembled stack of,

lifts'upwardly into the chute. The stroke of the rain is such that the rearmost lift in the stack is carried just beyond two spring fingers or latches 7-7, best shown in Fig. l, which snap in behind the rear lift and thus hold the stack in the bottom of the chute until it is pushed farther along the chute by an additional stack of lifts. As soon asthe ram has carried a stack of heel lifts forward into the grip of the fingers 7 7, it is returned again to; its initial position, as shown in'Figs. 1 and 4, in readiness I for the assembling of another stack of'lifts in front of it. v I

The mechanism so far described is well known and forms a part of the commercial machine, above designated. The machine builds a continuous stack of heel lifts, this stack beingsubse'quently' broken upto make heels of the desired height. There is in this machine, however, no "provision for making a heel with a rand. I

' The present invention provides a ram face plate or follower plate which is designated at-lO and is best shown in Fig. 2. This plate is, located in front of the plate 5 and may simply rest in this position since there is no substantial force tending to disturb it. Two raised portions or lugs 1212 are formed on the front face of this plate, the opposite ends of these lugs being adapted toengage and position the inner edges of the legs of a two-part rand R. The outer edges of the legs of the rand are engaged and positioned by the gages 6-6. While the central raised part which forms the gage for the inner edges of the rand, preferably is made in the form of two lugs 1212, as shown, it obviously may be made in the form of a solid section. It should be noted that one of the lugs is located near the lower edge of the plate while the other is located centrally of the plate, and that the upper edges of the side gages (36 lie above the lower lug 12 so that the two rand sections are effectually held against lateral displacement when they have once been placed properly against the face of the plate 10.

In using this apparatus the two-part rand is located against the face plate 10, as clearly shown in the drawings, the forward faces of the rand pieces being first coated with cement. A heel lift L is then placed in front of and against the rand pieces R. If the heel blank is to have more than a single lift, the other lift sections are cemented and stacked in front of the ram. The ram is then operated to carry the assembled pieces forming a heel blank into the chute and within the grip of the fingers 77. The opposite sides of the plate 10 are cut away, as shown at i l- 14, to leave portions of the m rgin of the rand'unsupported and free for the engagement therewith of the fingers 7--7. The operations ust described are then repeated, the successive stacks of assembled pieces forcing those in front of them through the chute, so that by the time any individual heel blank emerges from the up per end of the chute, the cement will have dried and the pieces will be firmly united. Subsequently the heel blank is runthrough a machine which 'bevels the inner edges of the rand sections and produces a heel of the form shown in Fig. 6.

The single lift type of heel shown in this figure is used widely on mens shoes where a rubber heel lift is to be nailed" on the lift L. it is obvious, however, that heels of any desired height can be built in the manner above described.

It will now be evident that this invention provides an apparatus with the aid of which heels having rands can be built very eco nomically. ,The assembling of the parts of the heel can be performed very rapidly, and the parts are so positioned relatively to each other that there is no danger of their becoming displaced. I have found through actual use of the invention that it substantially reduces the labor expense of manufacturing heels having rands.

While I have herein shown and described the best embodiment of my invention that I have so far devised, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to embodiment in the precise form shown.

Havingthus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

1. In a heel building machine, the combination of a ram, a chute into which the heels are forced by said ram, and means associated with said ram for positioning a heel rand in operative relationship thereto.

2. In a heel building machine, the combination of a ram, a chute into which the heels are forced by said ram, and gaging devices associated with said ram for positioning a two-piece heel rand in operative relationship to the ram. 4

In a heel building machine, the combiation of a ram, and means associated with said ram for gaging the position of' the inner and outer edges of both legs of a heel rand.

i. in a heel building machine, the combi nation of a ram, aging devices for positioning a heel lift in front of said ram, and additional means cooperating with said devices for holding a two-piece heel rand in front of said ram and in a predetermined relationship to said lift.

5. In a heel building machine, the combination of a ram, a chute into which the heels are forced by said ram, a plate positioned in front of said ram and having a raised central portion to engage the inner edges of both legs of a heel rand, and gaging devices for positioning the outer edges of the legs of said rand.

6. A follower plate for the ram of a heel building machine having a raised central portion to engage the inner edge of a heel rand and position it, said plate being cut away at opposite sides thereof to leave portions of the margin of the rand unsupported.

WILLIAM HENRY ALBEE. 

